Show ContentsMercuri History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Mercuri can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Venice. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. The most common type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Mercuri came from the Latin name Mercurius, which means messenger of the gods.

Early Origins of the Mercuri family

The surname Mercuri was first found in the town of Forli

Early History of the Mercuri family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mercuri research. The years 1530 and 1606 are included under the topic Early Mercuri History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mercuri Spelling Variations

Italian surnames come in far more variations than the names of most other nationalities. Regional traditions and dialects are a decisive factor in this characteristic. For example, northern names tend to end in "o", while southern in "i". Also important, but not unique to Italy, was the fact that before dictionaries and the printing press most scribes simply spelled words according to their sounds. The predictable result was an enormous number of spelling variations. The recorded spellings of Mercuri include Mercurio, Mercuriali, Mercuri, Mercorio, Mercuro and many more.

Early Notables of the Mercuri family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Geronimo Mercuriali (1530-1606), an Italian philologist and physician, most famous for his work De Arte Gymnastica
  • Girolamo Mercuriali, a nobleman from Forlì who was a doctor to Popes Gregorio XIII and XIV. He was also a professor at the Universities of Pisa and Bologna until his death in 1606. Giovanni-Andrea Mer...

Mercuri Ranking

In the United States, the name Mercuri is the 13,456th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Mercuri is ranked the 8,856th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 2


United States Mercuri migration to the United States +

Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Mercuri were

Mercuri Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Candia Mercuri, aged 50, who landed in America from Nicastro, in 1903
  • Angelo Mercuri, aged 36, who landed in America from Alatri, in 1904
  • Antonio Mercuri, aged 22, who immigrated to America from Nicastro, in 1905
  • Antonio Mercuri, aged 28, who landed in America from Vallepietra, Italy, in 1910
  • Catherina Mercuri, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States from Calimera, Italy, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Mercuri (post 1700) +

  • Dr. Rebecca Mercuri Ph.D (b. 1954), American expert in electronic voting who developed the Mercuri method, the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail
  • Maria Mercuri, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 2008 3
  • Mark Mercuri (b. 1974), professional Australian rules football player


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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